Hold Me Close, One Last Time
by Southern Magnolia
Summary: Bella starts out down memory lane through the pages of a photo album, but what has prompted all this wistful nostalgia?
1. The Photo Album

_Present Day_

I'd been tossing and turning for hours before I finally sat up in bed, turning on the lamp on the nightstand. I rose, went over to the windows and pushed them open, closed my eyes as I breathed in the outside air. It was warm, still faintly humid from the recent rain. As I released the breath slowly, I opened my eyes and looked out over the expanse of sand that stretched outwards. Beyond there was the freeway, but it was far enough that the sounds could be barely heard, and I could easily pull up memories of the summers I'd spent in Phoenix when I was younger.

My mom had decided to split from sleepy little Forks not long after my first birthday. She'd wanted to take me with her, but my dad had put his foot down. She'd only been nineteen when she'd had me, my dad had been twenty-three. She was leaving with no definite plans for the future, and no defined place to go. My mom had relented after a heated debate, and left me behind. It took her a few years before she finally got settled in Phoenix... and a few more before she'd gotten through college and had gotten a steady enough job to get a place big enough to be able to raise me. By that time I was eight years old.

In those eight years, I'd grown to love my life in Forks. For the first few years of my life, before I was old enough for school, my dad had taken me down to La Push to his best friend's house. His wife Sarah watched me along with her son Jacob, who was a year older than me. We'd become best friends almost right away, inseparable from the time I was able to get about fast enough to keep up with a rambunctious toddler.

When his mom had his little sisters when I was three, I experienced that lovely little stage in my life where I decided things were mine and not to be shared with anyone else. So Jake became "My Jacob" every time I spoke his name to anyone. And it stuck for years.

Once I started school, my entire days spent at La Push ended, but Sarah would pick me up after school and any weekends my dad worked, I was still down there. Life on the reservation came as naturally to me life in Forks. So by the time I was eight, I was adamant about staying in Forks. My mom was upset, of course, but she settled for just continuing to come fetch me in the summer to stay with her for a month or so in the summer, frequently joining Charlie and I for Christmas.

A knock on the door broke me from my thoughts, and I turned and smiled to see my mom walk in. In her hands was a rectangular package, my dad's name and address written in the return address corner. "I ran down and picked it up from the mailing center this morning. Figured you'd want it as soon as possible." Placing it in my hands, she kissed my forehead. "But I've got to get running or I'll be late getting to work. Need me to get anything for you once school's out?"

"No, I'm alright. Thanks for getting this, Mom."

"No problem, baby. I'll see you later."

By the time she shut the door, I was already sitting on the bed, tearing eagerly at the simple brown paper my dad had used to wrap and protect the package. Reaching in, I smiled a little as I pulled out the photo album of rich, deep reddish-brown leather. I loved it, but my eyes always fell to the little imperfections. The occasional clumsy stitch along the edges where the seams were sewn, keeping in the thin wooden boards that helped to keep it sturdy. That part I'd done on my own, but the burnt-in image of a small pack of wolves on the front had to be done with Billy's assistance. Running my fingers across the image, I released a little sigh before I flipped open the front cover.

Inside were bound pages of card stock paper, which I used to place photos on, write little captions next to or underneath them. My whole life was bound up in these pages. And every year I just had to carefully remove the stitches in the binding and add a few more pages.

The first few pages were pictures that had been taken of me when I was little, and I captioned with little more than dates, places, and names of the people that my parents told me to. Christmases, summers, first and last days of school and the in between. Photos of me playing with my best friends Leah, Sam, and of course, Jacob. One in particular always made me laugh, and I pulled it out with a smile.

It was a picture of Jacob and I stretched out on the floor with a book in front of us when we were still fairly little. Apparently, he had taken it upon himself to help me learn how to read, and I had my finger pressed onto the page asking what a certain word was. His mom had managed to catch the picture right as Jake rolled his eyes at me. When I asked later, she said it had been because I had called him "my Jacob" when I asked for the word, and that he got into the habit of rolling his eyes for a couple years when I called him that. It had been at that point in life when any boy would go through the usual "girls have cooties!" phase, but he endured my presence with patience. She'd asked him later about it, about why all other girls must have cooties but I didn't, and he'd simply replied "Because she's my Bells," and run off.

With a sigh, I slid the picture back into its place, and continued flipping through the pages. Slowly, I grew up in the pages. I skimmed my fingers over the photos. The year after Sarah had passed, there had been a shadow in Jake's eyes that even in my youth I could see, and that I could still see through these photos.

Slowly, I started coming upon pages where pictures had been taken by me and my friends instead of the adults in my life. Photos from my middle school years, when I'd gotten to know my only real friend in Forks, Angela. The occasional school dance I got talked into going to by her and other girls. I only managed to get Jake to go to one before he swore off the silliness of school dances forever, so there was the odd dance here and there with boys in my grade like Mike Newton or Eric Yorkie. Photos from when I'd dated Eric the last year or so of middle school before we decided that we were really just too opposite to be more than friends.

Then there were pictures of when Billy had been patiently teaching both me and Jake how to work with wood when I was about twelve years old, my fingers and hands covered with varying amounts of band-aids before I finally became diligent enough to avoid injury. Jake had been far better at it, as clearly evidenced by the multiple small photos where we stood our finished projects side by side.

Then came a couple of my favorite pictures in the entire album. They each had their own page, facing one another, the rest of the page absolutely covered with comments. The first had me at fifteen years old, my hair absolutely tousled and tangled as I looked up at him and stuck out my tongue, and his hair was in a similar state. We'd just got done wrestling outside and his friends Quil and Embry were having an absolute laughing fit over the state our our hair, and had snapped a picture. Jake had been exactly like a big brother to me all my life. Teasing me, rough-housing, tolerating and viewing me as something outside the concepts of the female gender. Still a girl, but not to be viewed as he was beginning to view other girls.

The next picture had a story all its own... A story that I felt was the beginning of a whole new world for me. A new life that had taken me from being an awkward and lost teenager into the woman who knew where her life was headed.


	2. The Second Photo Part One

_Bella – Age Fifteen_

The second picture was from when we were both sixteen, taken by my dad to send to my mom because I'd decided not to spend the summer after my fifteenth birthday in Phoenix with her. I'd taken a summer job at Newton's, and after the first couple of weeks, started dating Mike. I was still fairly new to the whole idea of dating, since the relationship with Eric hadn't really progressed past holding hands and the occasional shy, somewhat awkward kiss. Mike and I frequently argued about the amount of time that I spent around Jake, no matter how many times I pointed out he was like a brother and since my dad worked long and occasionally odd hours, Jake was how I got from work each day and down to La Push to hang out with my friends. It really irritated me, but I didn't know how to break up with him and keep things from being awkward at work.

When school started again, I spent the first week or so back trying to work up the courage to say the words I'd rehearsed over the summer, though most the school had been distracted by the arrival of five new kids. But the issue solved itself, in a way.

One Monday, Jake was running a little late picking me up from school, and Mike talked me into going for a walk while I waited. Jake being late had sort of worried me, since he called me the Friday before and said he was feeling pretty sick, so he wouldn't be able to pick me up to bring me down to La Push over the weekend.

Once we disappeared past the line of trees, he decided to get a little... handsy. He didn't let up at first when I told him to stop, and I guess Jake managed to hear me shouting from the parking lot. But by the time he got there, I'd already blackened Mike's eye and nearly broken his nose. Jake came up and saw the state my clothes were in, began to shake a little as he turned to Mike. I grabbed Jake's arm, and was briefly concerned to see how hot his skin felt. I knew with the growth spurt he'd hit over the last month or so of summer, he'd likely tear Mike apart. Mike seemed to figure the same thing, because he turned and ran off toward the school.

"Jake? Jake, come on," I'd said, trying to calm him as I tugged him further back into the woods. Far enough that he wouldn't be tempted to go after Mike. I finally got him to trudge after me with heavy steps, far enough that we could no longer see or even hear the sounds from the school.

"You've gotta dump that guy, Bella," he insisted through gritted teeth. "I've been saying that all summer, he's a jerk, and what he just did-"

"No, I know Jake! I agree, it's over," I quickly interrupted him, grasping his hand as I kept trying to get him to cool down. "I've known that. It just would have been weird working at Newton's if I did it over the summer, and school's been so hectic and I've been trying to get myself to say it... but I think the black eye pretty much said it," I added with a faint laugh, trying to joke about it.

"It's not funny, Bella! I could have killed that punk!" He fumed. "I-"

He broke off, gasped as he suddenly grasped his head. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I tumbled a little before I came to rest with a small gasp amongst the leaves and what I recognized after a few moments to be bits of torn shoe rubber and jeans. When I looked up, there was a huge mass of shaggy, reddish-brown fur, the body nearly as tall as a horse and broad as a bear, heaving from the quick, heavy breaths it took. Looking up toward its head, I saw it staring at me through familiar brown eyes.

"J-Jake?" I pushed myself back to my feet, became aware of the pain in my right arm. I looked down, saw my shirt torn to shreds, and long gashes in my arm that ended just below my elbow and, from what I could guess from the pain at the moment, began up at my neck and shoulder. But my gaze was quickly back up at the mass of fur as I heard a low whine as it had taken notice of the gouges as well.

But I had no time to react beyond that before we were suddenly joined by three of the new kids – I vaguely knew their names. They looked from me to the wolf.

"Back away, Bella," Edward snarled. "We'll get you to the hospital. And this thing... can go back where it belongs." The three of them took a measured step forward.

"No!" My outburst seemed to surprise all three of them and the wolf. I quickly threw my arms about its furry neck, as if I meant to protect it. Why I thought a huge wolf needed protection from three teenagers, I didn't know. "It's... he's... he's my friend."

They exchanged glances before Edward pressed his lips together firmly. "Maybe. But your friend's not there anymore."

The wolf – Jake – snarled.

"It's the truth, Jacob," Edward returned the snarl, and I gasped to hear him speak his name. "You'll want to speak with your council." He paused for a moment, as if he were in a conversation and listening to the other person speak. "Your dad should know, yes. Ask about the treaty."

Jake huffed as I looked between them, wondering at how Edward knew what to say. But I didn't ask. I just continued to cling protectively to Jake's neck.

"Bella. We need to get you to the hospital. Or to our father. He's a doctor," Rosalie offered, tense as she kept a contemptuous gaze on Jake.

Jake stepped so that his body was between me and the three siblings. The broad-shouldered one... Emmett? Snarled.

"Okay, okay... look. At least let me call him to come here. She needs help, you can see that." A low, rumbling noise came from Jake. "Emmett and Rosalie can leave... We just smelled the blood, we were concerned... guys?" Emmett gave a disgruntled snort before he allowed the blond to lead him away, and Edward pulled out his phone.

He was on the phone briefly, though his eyes never left the two of us. His gaze quickly began to creep my out, and I turned my head away and buried my face in the fur at Jake's neck. There was a few, long and tense minutes of waiting before another pale figure came up close, a doctor's bag in his hand.

"Isabella? My name's Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Would you permit me to look at your arm?" The voice was gentle and sweet, almost soothing in comparison to the underlying anger that had been in the voices of the teens.

So I slowly drew myself from Jake's side and allowed him to help me sit down on the ground as he knelt at my side. "I... prefer to be called Bella, sir- er, Dr. Cullen."

He smiled gently at me. "Bella, then." Then I was was distracted with a grimace as he had to cut the sleeve of my shirt away and I had to hold my shirt up with my good arm to keep it from falling down on the right. Jake whined again and stretched out, head on his paws at my side. Dr. Cullen was quick and diligent as he cleaned my arm, then had to give me a shot before he began stitching me up. "Forgive me for asking, but what should we tell your father about what occurred here?"

I glanced down at Jake at my side and bit my lip, then shook my head. "Well, we can't tell him it was a wild animal, he'd have the whole town out looking for it." Edward snorted in amusement, and I heard a huff from my side, and noted that Carlisle leveled a gaze at him. "Oh, there's uhm... a little ways from here, a steep hill that's pretty rocky on the way down. I could just say that I went for a walk while waiting for Jake and fell down. I'm clumsy enough, my dad would believe it."

"Fair enough," Carlisle replied, and left it at that as he focused on my arm.

"What were you doing out here to begin with, Bella? Was it something to do with Mike Newton?" I bit my lip again and turned my face away, trying to find a way not to focus on him or my arm. But then I heard him draw in a sharp breath. "He tried to attack you?"

"What? No, no!" I shook my head. "Not... attack, really. He was just... more forward than I would have liked. But we were still within hearing distance of the school, that's why Jake came, he heard me... but it was over before he got there."

"... You gave him a black eye?" Edward asked, sounding almost impressed with me.

"Well... yeah. Being around Jake all the time and being more 'one of the guys' than a girl, really... well, I'm not exactly completely helpless," I ended lamely as I dared a glance back up at him. He seemed almost impressed, and I felt Jake's cool nose press lightly into my side softly.

"There," Dr. Cullen said as he finished off the last stitch, then began to clean my arm a last time. "This is likely going to keep hurting for a while, Bella, so I'm going to write you a prescription for something to help with that, and some antibiotics. The pain killers you should take as needed, and the antibiotics as the instructions tell you. Make sure not to get the stitches wet for the next twenty-four hours." He began binding it up with clean gauze. "The bandages should stay on for the next day as well, and you're going to have to make sure to keep it clean, apply antibiotic cream... but you're mostly going to want to let it get some air so it can heal properly." He fished out and handed me a card. "That has my cell number on it, and if you begin to notice anything wrong at all, don't hesitate to call me. We need to make sure it doesn't get infected." He got to his feet, dusting himself off. "I'd also suggest taking at least the three or so days off from school so the healing can begin without any unnecessary strain. But now... I think we should get you home or to the hospital, and get in touch with your father."

I clung possessively to the fur at Jake's neck, leaned against him as I listened to Carlisle speak. "But what about Jake? I can't just leave him out here alone like this..."

He flicked his amber eyes over to Jake. "Jake, is it? Do you think you could phase back, son?"

There was a pause before it was Edward's voice that spoke up next. "It's his first time phasing, it's how he hurt Bells... er, sorry, Bella," Edward paused, offering a terse smile. "I'm just repeating things as I hear them. But he's... unsure of how to phase back."

"Are you the first of your tribe to do this since the last pack?" Carlisle asked, brow furrowed.

"He says he thinks so." Edward crouched down to look at Jake more closely, though Jake balked slightly, rising to his feet to back away. "I'm not trying to hurt you, Jacob. I..." He flicked his gaze to me, then back to Jake. "I know something of the last pack, the same way I know the words you're trying to say now. But... it seems like it's triggered when you're highly emotional. So, I think maybe you should try calming down, clearing your thoughts. Will yourself back to your human shape."

Jake backed away from all of us a little, and I turned to watch as Carlisle helped me to my feet. Jake huffed softly, then turned away so he wouldn't be looking in our direction. We waited in silence before he finally drew himself up onto his hind legs, and for a moment, did look like a great bear. But then it seemed that his form shimmered around him, the fur disappeared as his form slowly faded back down into himself.

"Jake!" I lurched forward, ready to throw both my arms around him, but settled for just the left as I remembered my injury in the nick of time.

"Oh, uhm, Bells... do you mind not... doing that right now..?" I heard his voice, thick with embarrassment as he kept himself stoically turned away.

"Wha- oh!" I blushed a little myself as I turned away.

"I'll uh... Emmett's still down at the school, he should have some gym clothes that should fit you. At least well enough to get you by." Then Edward was gone with a speed that took my breath away, leaving me to look over at Carlisle and wonder just who or what these newcomers were. But I didn't have long to wonder as Edward returned, moved just past me to hand over a bundle of clothing. "They're clean... They'll smell like him, but it's something."

Jake thanked him gruffly, then I heard the rustle of clothing behind me before I felt myself spun about and pulled into his arms. "Bells... I'm so, so sorry... I... I'm never going to forgive myself for hurting you."

I was shocked at first. Jake had never held me like this before. But I came out of it quickly, wrapping my good arm around him. "It's not your fault Jake, I know that. You didn't do it on purpose. Don't worry, okay? You know me, I've been doing stuff like this to myself my whole life, remember?"

"Not like this," he said shakily. "I could have... what if I'd killed you?" He shuddered and pulled me more tightly against himself.

"Oof, Jake... hugging a little too hard, I can't really breathe..."

"Sorry!" He said, abashed as he released me. He seemed to finally open his eyes, exhaling heavily as he gazed down at me. "Bells..." He shook his head a bit, then reached up to pluck a leaf from my hair. And I found myself suddenly blushing under his gaze. I'd never felt this way before, and we'd had far too many wrestling matches where we laughingly picked twigs and leaves out of each others hair.

I bit my lip and took the leaf from him, nervously shifted my weight from one leg to another. "We should, uhm... get going."

"I'll go ahead and call your father, Bella, and relay the story to him. And that I was nearby so I just fixed you up here, and Jacob is taking you home."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen," I murmured before I swayed a little on my feet before Jake caught me.

"Whoa... hey, maybe we should get you to the hospital anyhow, Bells... you lost a lot of blood..." Jake lifted his gaze to Carlisle.

"She should be fine... there wasn't near enough lost to need a blood transfusion. She should just make sure to stay hydrated. If she does pass out, then she'll need to be taken to the hospital for an IV. So someone should stay with her the next couple hours to help her stay awake." He shifted his attention to me. "But Bella, if you keep getting dizzy like that, you should probably come in anyway, just to be safe, alright?" I nodded my head at him.

Then Jake scooped me into his arms with an ease that surprised me, my left side against his body so I could wrap my good arm around his neck and settle the injured one safely over my stomach and lap. I stared up at him as he started back down the way we came, occasionally blushing and looking away as he caught my gaze.

What in the world was going on with me? This was Jacob, the boy who had always been like the big brother I'd never had. He'd chased me with bugs when I was little, gotten upset when I'd turn around and chase him with a different one. Constantly protected me against his friend Quil's flirtations when he'd somehow stopped seeing me as 'one of the guys' and as a girl. Scolded him and Embry for making crude comments when I was nearby. Had gotten just as grossed out when Leah and Sam had started dating and would hold hands and make-out when we were all hanging out together.

I licked my lips and hid my face against his broad chest. That in itself was sort of embarrassing, but it was better than the alternative of constantly being caught looking up at him. He only sat me back on my feet so I could get into the passenger side of his car, helping me to get buckled before he got in and drove me home. He was helping me out and had me scooped back into his arms, even as I insisted that I would walk perfectly fine as my dad pulled into the driveway.

"Bells!" My dad bolted over. "Dr. Cullen called and told me.." He dropped his gaze to my bandaged arm, and I was glad that it was hidden under the gauze. He looked panicked enough as it was. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad, at the moment," I admitted. "I think he numbed it with something before he started putting in the stitches. Just kind of sore, for now."

"Good, good..." He raked a hand back through his hair. "I should make some speech about wandering off alone just because Jake was a little late, but I guess that you probably already learned that lesson..."

I bit my lip and nodded my head in an attempt to look contrite.

"Don't worry, Charlie. It won't happen again."

I glanced up and noticed the fierce determination in his features, and I tightened my hold on him a little in an attempt to comfort him without drawing too much attention to it from my dad.

Charlie looked between us, then heaved a sigh. "Yeah, well... doc said he'd pick up the medicine for you and drop it by so I could head straight here, Bells. But if you're really alright, I should really head back to the station and let them know what's going on. The way that I tore out of there, they're liable to think the worst..."

I shot him a light smile. "I'm alright, really Dad. Dr. Cullen told Jake to keep an eye on me though, just in case. Is that alright?"

"Sure, sure... do you need me to stay? I could call in and tell them what's going on rather than going in."

"No, no... go back in, Dad. You're sort of making me feel all anxious, the way you keep looking at me like I'm about to fall apart. I'll be fine."

"I'll keep an eye on her. Dr. Cullen said she should take this week off school, so she doesn't put too much strain on the stitches just yet. Since we don't even start back until next week, I was planning on being here every day to help her out."

Charlie was quiet for a few moments as he looked between us before he gave a short nod. "Yeah, well... You, uh... You kids behave, alright?"

"Dad!" I blushed furiously as I stared at him. How could he say that? This was Jake!

He shrugged his shoulders at me, sort of half-apologizing, but not necessarily taking it back either. "Alright. I'm heading back. I'll see you kids later." He headed back off, pausing as Carlisle pulled in to be able to shake his hand and offer his thanks before he took off. Jake took me up to the door and sat me down long enough to get my back-pack from the back seat so I could fish my keys out of it. I opened the door and let myself inside, insisting that Jake let me walk, though he followed closely behind me.

Carlisle stepped in after us and sat the bags he carried on the counter. "You should take the first antibiotic pill with something to eat as soon as possible, and one of the other as you need them." I nodded at him. "Jacob," he began as he turned to him. "I would appreciate it if you could give us a call once you have a chance to talk with your father. I think things won't be as black and white now as they once were... at least, in terms of our treaty with the Quileutes."

"Alright, Dr. Cullen. Thanks again for, well... helping out."

"My pleasure, Jacob." The doctor shot him a smile before he let himself out, leaving me alone with Jake.

"I, uh... Well, I'm not much of a cook," Jake stated lamely.

I grinned a little, walking over to sit at the table. "I know... There's some canned soup up in the cabinet next to the stove, and pans and stuff in the one next to the oven."

He nodded and pulled everything out and got it started before he joined me at the table. He folded his hands and sat them on the table, remained silent for a few long moments before he raked a hand back through his hair. "Bells, I..." He began softly, then paused, apparently searching for the right words.

"Jake? I think the soup's burning," I pointed out quietly.

He jumped up and swore under his breath as he pulled the pot from the heat and shut off the heat as I giggled a little. He shot a look at me and I immediately stopped. Since when did I giggle? I cleared my throat and got up to check on the soup before I pulled out a couple of bowls. He hovered close behind me as I carefully poured the soup into the bowls, then snickered as I saw the burnt layer over the bottom of the pot. I grabbed a spoon and gave it a quick taste. "It's not too bad," I admitted with a smile. "Though..." I eyed him. "Something tells me a bowl of soup won't be enough. How about some sandwiches?" I went to the fridge and began to pull things out, grimacing faintly as my arm gave a sharp pang.

"Bells? Should I get you one of the pain pills?"

"No, no. You can't really take too many of those, and I hate pills anyway..."

"Bells..." He turned from where he was pulling the bread from the bread box.

I laughed softly. "I'll take them when I need to, I promise. Geeze. One little incident and you're in over-protective brother mode again," I said as I stuck my tongue out at him and settled things on the counter, and turned back to grab the rest, unable to get it all at once as I usually might.

"**Little** incident?" He sat the bread on the counter next to everything I had sat out, then put his hands on other side of my face, tipping my head back so I had to look up at him as he searched my face. "Bells... that wasn't exactly what I'd call **little**... I could have so easily killed you, I... I turned into a monster, and I hurt you... when the one that deserved to be hurt is the little punk that..." He shut his eyes and pressed his lips together, forcing his breath to even out.

"Jake..." I awkwardly took his hand from my face, and he opened his eyes to look down at me. I pressed my lips together for a moment, then eased out a careful breath as I focused downward to be able to concentrate on my thoughts. "What happened today was... definitely extraordinary. And while... yes, my arm is going to hurt like hell for a few days... I think I would be more worried about you having to face something like this alone. As scared as I was at first, as soon as I realized it was you... I wasn't. Now, I just want to help you figure it out and help you get through it. Okay?" I looked back up at him as I finished, wanting to gauge his reaction.

He exhaled softly, unconsciously brushing his thumb against my cheek. I stilled a little under his touch, unsure of how to react. He snapped his eyes shut and seemed to struggle internally for a moment before he released me and turned to start making sandwiches. "Sorry I'm acting so weird. Probably just... from feeling so protective and worrying about you... not to mention the adrenaline and... whatever is going on with me. I think it's messing with my head."

"Like your head can stand to be messed with any more," I teased as I moved to help him.

He laughed and swatted my hip. "Watch it, or I'll have to kick your butt once you're all healed again."

As we set out to make sandwiches, it soon became abundantly clear how inept with my left hand I was, and we were soon laughing as I made a small mess of myself. Luckily, none of it got too close to my stitches. But by the time we got the sandwiches made and I got at least my hands and face cleaned up (Jake had thought it supremely funny to add to the mess by dabbing mayonnaise on my nose), we had to heat the soup in the microwave.

"Maybe I should have just tried that first," Jake said with a wry smile as we finally settled at the table with the food, glasses of water, and my medicine. I snickered softly before I took a few bites of food, then obediently downed the pill he offered to me. We ate in silence from then on, though he had a little snicker now and again at my struggles to try and eat with my left hand.

He finished his by the time I was only about halfway through my sandwich and even less into my soup. He shuffled his feet a little then pushed up to his feet and put his dishes in the sink. "I should call my dad and... see what he has to say..."

I smiled and gave him an encouraging nod. I continued to eat in silence as I listened to the sound of his quiet voice on the phone. I straightened when I heard it rise a little with agitation, but he quickly sighed and fell to quiet conversation again. He was on the phone long enough that I managed to finish my food and finally had to relent on the second pill. I held it in my right hand, wincing a little even at that faint strain as I popped the cap open with my left hand and managed to take the pill.

He was still on the phone as I slowly finished clearing the table and picked up after the little messes that had been left behind. Then I walked over to lean against the wall near him as he spoke. His gaze moved to me as he offered a faint smile, then looked away to continue to listen. "Okay... yeah, Dad... we should talk with the council as soon as possible, but... Yeah, I know, the sooner the better, but I can't just leave Bella. She needs to have someone around, especially today to make sure she doesn't pass out." He listened for a few minutes longer before his brow furrowed. His gaze flicked to me for a moment before he focused his gaze on the floor. "What's that mean?" He turned away a little and I took the hint and moved away, grabbed my book-bag to move it into the living room so I could work on my homework later.

I heard a small thud and moved back toward the kitchen quickly, found his head back against the wall. "Dad, that's just..." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I know. I can't help it... guess it could always be worse, huh?" He chuckled dryly before he straightened. "Alright, Dad. I think I've got enough buzzing in my head to try and process for now. Yeah, I'll make sure to call you as soon as I can. Bye." He hung up the phone and heaved a sigh.

"So... things didn't seem too awful until the end of the conversation there. What's going on...?"

"Well... the long and short of it... Remember all those stories of my people...?"

"Uh..." I paused, then gave a short laugh. "You mean the one with the guy, uhm... Taha Aki? How they could separate their spirits from their bodies?"

"Yeah. And what happened when someone took his body?"

"He talked to a... oh...!" My face lit with realization as I looked up to him, his mouth set into a grim smile. "So..."

"So... I don't really know yet. There's still a lot to process."

"Fair enough. But, I'm here if you need me. Not going anywhere all week," I teased.

"Yeah, I know," he said with a small smile.

"Okay, so... well, I should really change my clothes." I made a lame gesture as I indicated the state of my clothes. There was blood soaked into the right side of my jeans, and they were smudged here and there with spots of dirt from where I'd tumbled. My shirt was in a far worse state. The right arm was torn and bloodied, and instead of bothering to try and replace it about my arm, Carlisle had just tied it into a knot under my arm so that it would at least stay in place. "I'll be back down in a few minutes, and then you can have the joy of helping me with my homework," I teased, getting a small laugh out of him.

I headed up the stairs and was gone for several minutes as I attempted to get changed, got frustrated after attempting several different ways, and then sighed heavily. Great. As if this day wasn't awkward enough. I stood with my hand on the doorknob of my bedroom door as I stared at the ceiling, but finally made myself yank it open. "Hey Jake? Could you come up here?"

I heard his footfalls on the stairs as he came up, and I backed away to allow him to enter the room. "What's up?"

I gestured at my clothes with a heavy blush. "I can't get them off... I can't even sit and find a comfortable way to position my arm so I can get my shoes off... so..." I ended lamely as I shuffled my feet.

"Uh..." He coughed. "You... you need help?" I nodded. "Uhm... okay... well.. sit down, I'll get your... shoes first." I sat on the edge of my bed as he knelt down and untied my sneakers and tugged them off, then pulled my socks off. I half expected some teasing comment, but there was none as he stood back up and quietly waited for me to do the same. I stood and moved my right arm as far as I dared to to allow him to untie the knot from my shirt. I didn't dare to look up at him as he finished and let the cloth fall loosely.

He froze a moment, then shakily began to unbutton my shirt. Ordinarily I might have made a joke about it, but... there really was nothing 'ordinary' about having Jake undress me, especially not in my bedroom. He didn't say anything either as he tugged the shirt free of the waist of my jeans so he could get to the last couple of buttons. Then his skin lightly skimmed against mine as he helped pull the shirt away and let it drop.

I heard his breath catch and I blushed as I glanced up at him, seized by a sudden curiosity over what he thought about what he saw. Then I clenched eyes shut and mentally scolded myself for even beginning to think about such things. "The, uh..."

"Jeans, too," I muttered.

He swallowed hard as his hands went to the button on my jeans, tugged at them a moment before he managed to get the button undone and undid the zipper. I fumbled a little to try and push them down off my hips before I leaned my head back to stare at the ceiling in embarrassment as he helped to tug them downward far enough that I could just use my feet to help push and kick them away as I caught some comment about my jeans being too tight.

I actually laughed a little. "You never complained before," I teased.

"I never noticed before," he retorted before he could stop himself.

I glanced over at him as we both flushed and shifted nervously. I glanced down and realized my bra had gotten blood on it and I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling before I turned my back to him. I swept my hair forward over my shoulder and gave a glance back at him. "Could you, uhm..."

He sucked in another, highly audible breath and I felt his fingers tremble as he worked at the catches on my bra as I made sure to hold it in place with my arm. I mumbled a "thank you" under my breath as I felt it fall open, then stood frozen in place as I waited for him to leave. When I still felt his presence behind me, I chanced a glance back at him. "... Jake...?"

"Damn it, Bells," he breathed out as he caught my face between his hands and brought his lips down to mine. My heart leaped up into my throat as a shock shot down my spine. I didn't dare to move either of my arms, given the predicament they were both in, but I trembled a little as I pressed my lips back against his and heard his breath catch. His eyes clenched shut as he held me between his hands and shook, then slowly drew away as he pulled his hands away and clenched them into fists. "Bella, I'm... so sorry, I... there's no excuse for..."

"It's alright, Jake," I said softly as my heart continued to race and my head swim. "But, uhm... I should really get into some other clothes."

"Right, right." He quickly slipped out of the room and I heaved a heavy sigh as I shook my head to try and clear it.

I stood there for a few moments as I tried to organize my thoughts, figure out what had happened. Was all this because he had tried to come running to my rescue earlier? I never really pegged myself for the mushy romantic sort that would fall for that sort of thing, but then again, I'd also never been in that situation before. Eric had certainly never tried anything like that, and Mike had never been anything but a little annoying when we'd get into the arguments. I heaved a groan. This was just nuts. What was the point of trying to make sense of something that didn't make any sense? So I just pulled a pajama set out of my dresser and awkwardly managed to pull on the pants on and the shirt, only managing to get the bottom few buttons before I didn't dare to try and bend my elbow further. I stuffed my bare feet into a pair of slippers and went to the bathroom to grab my brush and a some hairbands before I headed downstairs.

I found Jake in the kitchen as he downed a glass of ice water, then blushed as he spotted me before he turned and put his back to me to refill the glass. "Uhm, Jake... I hate to ask, but could you... I can't get to the top buttons."

He froze a moment before he shut of the faucet and turned to me and just waited for me to step over. "The rational side of my head says I shouldn't try to be this close to you again... but the more rational side says there would be more trouble than we'd know how to put up with if your dad came home and saw you with your shirt half open..."

I actually laughed at that and he relaxed enough to give a light chuckle as he buttoned up the last button. "Well... there you go."

"Thanks," I said lamely after the amusement died down. "Uhm... let's go to the living room so I can try and work on my homework." He nodded, but pulled out a second glass to get me a glass of ice water. I plopped down on the floor and handed over my brush and the pony-tail holders so he could brush the tangles out of my hair and put it into a braid. He'd done it for his little sisters for years, so it wasn't long before my hair was brushed out and pulled into a neat, tight braid.

My homework, however, was another story. The answers I tried to write with my left hand looked to be little more than scribble. So I got him to sit and write down the answers that I dictated to him as I returned the favor and began to brush out his hair. We were still seated like that when my dad finally got home from work. I twisted about as I caught him glancing over at us with the slightest quirk of a smile. "Hey, Dad. Jake and I ate a little earlier so I could take my medicine. But, is there anything I could, uhm... attempt to make for you and have to have Jake rescue me from?"

He came over and kissed the top of my head. "No, that's alright kiddo. The guys were pretty relieved when I told them you were okay, then had a good laugh at the idea of me trying to cook, so we all grabbed a bite to eat. I'm going to go ahead and crash. Uhm... Is Jake staying over?"

I had no idea what to say, but Jake looked up. "Actually, I should call Dr. Cullen anyhow, I can ask how long I need to keep an eye on Bella. But if it's much longer I could crash on the couch, or I think there's still that sleeping bag from when Bella and I used to have camp-outs in the back yard when my sisters were having sleep-overs... though I guess most of them were on the living room floor..."

Charlie laughed a little before he nodded his head. "Alright. And hey, Jake, I really appreciate you doing this and for, well... being there for her."

"No problem, Charlie." Jake got up and accepted the hand my father offered for a shake, then the two of them walked off. I exhaled and rolled my eyes up toward the ceiling when I was finally alone, and sank back into the cushions of the couch. Jake popped his head back in after a few minutes. "Hey, Bells? He wants to know if you've felt dizzy again."

"Oh, uhm... a little bit, but not nearly as bad as before."

"Okay." He retreated back with the phone and for about fifteen minutes all I heard was quiet murmurs and pauses in the conversation. Then he hung up and I heard some rummaging through the cabinets and some general kitchen noise before he emerged with a box of cookies and a couple glasses of milk. "The doctor prescribed cookies," he said with a grin as he set it down on the coffee table and pushed my homework out of the way.

I giggled again, then blushed and tried to cover it all up with grabbing a cookie and nibbling on it. He sat next to me in silence for a few moments as he ate a few cookies as I continued to nibble on the one. He sighed and sunk back. "Bells, uh... about earlier..."

I shook my head and reached out to lightly grip his hand. "It's alright, Jake... it was... kind of an awkward situation, I know."

"And that's exactly why I shouldn't have done it, it's just..." He dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling as he tried to gather his thoughts. I waited patiently as I sipped at the milk and finished off my cookie. "Just... hard to explain. I have the words, but... I think it would just make things more awkward right now."

"Oh... well... I know you've always been really protective of me, hearing me shout like that probably set all sorts of thoughts going in your head. So... it's been a weird day, we could just forget it all happened?"

He exhaled forcefully, then nodded. "That'll work, for now." He ate another cookie. "Anyhow, all the stuff that's going on... apparently the Cullens are, uh...the cold ones from our legends."

"The uh... vampires?" I blinked at him incredulously.

"Yeah. But apparently, they don't go after humans. So... what happened today was because they came into town. That whole thing where I've been running a fever, the growth spurt... it was all because of them being around. A reaction to their presence. It triggered a need to protect the rez, so..." He sighed and sank into the couch further. "Being so upset earlier, worried that he'd hurt you, angry that he might have touched you that way... it just finally made me... reach a boiling point, pretty much."

"Oh..." I felt sort of pathetic, that that was the only response that I could muster, so I wracked my mind for something else. "Wait... wasn't there something about... you don't reveal who they are if they don't bite humans and... you stay off each others land?"

He shot me a wry sort of grin. "Sounds like you paid more attention to the legends than I ever did."

I flushed and gave a little shake of my head. "Just... because I always sort of felt awkward that I was the only outsider that those things were ever shared with. So I made sure I memorized them pretty well. They're just a little harder to recall now, it's been a few years..."

He gave me a slight nod. "But, uh... I guess the Cullens talked about it... and they figured it was alright for me to be over in their territory, provided it's to do things like pick you up or to help take care of you..."

I nodded a little, then exhaled slowly. "So... the doctor and those kids were vampires, huh?" I picked up my glass of milk and held it firmly between my hands. "That's... kind of scary, considering..."

He nodded as he looked over at me, and with a quick glance, I saw every bit of the protective Jake back in his features. "I wouldn't have let them hurt you, Bells."

With a sigh, I leaned back into the couch, unconsciously snuggling in a little closer to him, seeking the comforting warmth. "It's still just... scary. I mean, I have to go to school with them every day for the next couple years. I know your history says they don't go after people, and I guess that doctor seemed calm enough, but..." I shook my head, leaned it back as I closed my eyes. "This is all too weird. This morning my most difficult issue was figuring out how to confront my childish boyfriend and break up with him, and now I'm living in a world with vampires and werewolves."

A short, faint bark of laughter came from him. "Believe me, I'm... barely dealing with the weird myself right now. But I guess all we can do is play it by ear."

I was only vaguely aware of the fact that I nodded in response as I began to doze, lulled to sleep by the constant warmth and sense of... safety I felt as I leaned into him.

"Bells... Go with me tomorrow when I go talk to my dad?"

There was a hint of something in his voice that I couldn't quite place... like he was worried... or scared. But I was too far away at that point to be able to commit too much thought to it. I just managed a faint. "Mmhm..." And then I was out.


End file.
